It’s Not Bad Behavior: Recognizing Signs of Mental Illness in Children

Your
2 year old has been in full-blown tantrum mode for over an hour. Toys
are being flung across the room, punches are flying any time you get
near, and there’s even the risk of being bitten if you dare to get too
close.

Is this typical toddler behavior, or the sign of early mental health issues?

Your
7 year old doesn’t want to go to school. Every day she comes home
crying, and every morning she begs to skip. You see the panic in her
eyes. You know it’s real.

But is she just a kid who doesn’t like school, or is this what anxiety looks like for her?

If
you’ve found yourself in situations like these, wondering whether or
not your child needs the help of a mental health professional, you’re
not alone.

A recent study released in JAMA Pediatrics estimated that 7.7 million children — roughly 16.5 percent nationwide — have at least one mental health disorder.

Yet, about half of those children don’t receive any kind of treatment from a mental health professional.

The reasons for this disparity in care can be extensive.

Danielle
Rannazzisi, PhD, a child psychologist practicing in New York, explained
to Healthline it’s not just about a lack of access to care. She said a
lot of parents also struggle with recognizing certain behaviors as
symptoms of true mental illness, as opposed to just “feeling blue” or
“getting nervous.”

Then there’s the stigma attached to seeking mental health treatment.

“We’ve made some advancements as to how mental health is viewed in this
country, but we still have a long way to go.” Rannazzisi explained.
“There are still negative connotations associated with mental illness
that discourage people from admitting that they are in need of treatment
and seeking it out.”

She said a lot of parents worry about their
children being labeled with a diagnosis that will then follow them
throughout adolescence and adulthood.

That fear can prevent them from presenting the full scope of the issue to their child’s practitioners.

Also, with a nationwide shortage of child psychiatrists, it can be difficult for parents to even find the right people to ask the questions they need.

Financial concerns can come into play as well.

“For
individuals without health insurance, mental health treatment can be
cost-prohibitive,” Rannazzisi said. “Even for individuals who are able
to find a mental health provider who accepts their insurance, copays for
therapy and medications can add up quickly.”

The flaws in the data

Given those barriers, it’s no wonder more kids aren’t receiving the help they need.

But Dr. Marian Earls, board-certified in both general pediatrics and developmental and behavioral pediatrics, and an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) representative, isn’t convinced the numbers from the most recent report are entirely accurate when it comes to lack of treatment.

She
pointed out that kids with ADHD are primarily treated by their
pediatrician or family care practitioner, without the need for seeing a
mental health professional.

“The AAP says that primary care
should be able to monitor mild to moderate anxiety, depression, and
ADHD,” she explained. “I can’t tell from the data whether or not they
accounted for that, since they asked the parents if they had a referral
out to a mental health professional.”

Earls makes a good point.

The most recent data comes from the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, which relies on parents to answer a variety of questions about their children.

The
question evaluated for the purpose of this study was, “During the past
12 months, has the child received any treatment or counseling from a
mental health professional? Mental health professionals include
psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, and clinical social
workers.”

Earls went on to say, “I don’t know that it’s so
shocking that there are so many children who aren’t seeing a mental
health professional. Many of them may be receiving the care they need
for mild to moderate issues through their pediatrician.